Your home septic system is designed to treat the liquid waste, solid waste and food debris produced by the people in your home each day. Most systems include your home plumbing, an underground concrete or Plexiglas holding tank and drain fields made of perforated pipe, sand and gravel. As solid and liquid wastes enter this system, they separate and are treated to re-enter the surrounding soil and groundwater. Some items, such as trash, grease and chemicals, should not be put into your septic system.
Liquid Waste
In addition to human liquid waste, water left over from washing dishes, doing laundry, and bathing goes into the septic system. This waste water is often called gray water. Some people divert the gray water and use it for watering lawns or flower gardens. This frees up the septic tank for processing true liquid waste. This liquid waste floats to the top of the septic tank as the solid waste sinks. When new waste water flows into the septic tank, this partially-processed waste water flows out into the drainfields to continue treatment. The purified liquid waste percolates through the soil until it returns to the groundwater free of harmful bacteria.
Solid Waste
Septic systems are designed to handle the solid waste produced by the human body each day. In the septic tank, excrement and toilet paper settles to the bottom and anaerobic bacteria begin breaking it down. This process cannot eliminate the solid waste entirely, so your septic tank needs to be pumped out on a regular schedule. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends a pump-out schedule of three to five years, but your schedule will depend on how many people are in your home, how large your septic tank is and how much solid waste your home produces.
Food Debris
Your septic system can handle a certain amount of food debris, usually delivered by a garbage disposal. To reduce the amount of solid waste your septic system must process, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends disconnecting your garbage disposal. By tossing out or composting your food waste, you can cut the solid waste in your septic tank down significantly. This will decrease the number of times you will need to have your septic system pumped out.
Additives
Although the Environmental Protection Agency discourages the use of any additives to your septic system, some additive manufacturers say that these products can increase the numbers of beneficial bacteria. These bacteria begin the process of breaking down solid wastes in your septic tank and are reputed to keep the level of solid waste low. Keeping solid waste to a minimum helps the treatment process and increases the length of time between pump-outs. Always use products that contain only biological ingredients, because chemical compounds can degrade the naturally-occurring bacteria in your septic tank and drain fields.
Cautions
There are many things that should never go into your septic system. Cotton swabs, condoms or condom wrappers, sanitary napkins, and candy wrappers belong in the trash can and not in the septic tank. Your septic tank is not able to break down these items quickly enough to allow for proper waste processing. Cooking oils, grease and caustic chemicals are also unsuitable for your septic system. Oil and grease can clog drain field pipes and caustic chemicals such as bleach and drain cleaners can kill off beneficial bacteria.
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